Serene countryside and idyllic rural landscape of green fields, rolling hills and grazing sheep in the Glens of Antrim, Northern Ireland
The UK’s four farming unions have welcomed the progress made following the Farm Assurance Review, while highlighting that several areas within the report still require urgent action.
Responding to the final Farm Assurance Review (FAR) progress report, the four UK farming unions said: “Our organisations continue to work hard on multiple aspects of the report’s recommendations to ensure Britain’s farmers and growers have a greater voice in the development of farm assurance standards.
“Although good progress has been made, several areas highlighted within the report still require urgent action.
“On environmental measurement, we must reach a consensus around an industry-led approach and ensure reporting has a clear purpose, provides genuine value and involves farmers and growers from day one.
“Issues within the combinable crops sector also need to be addressed with structural changes urgently needed to abandon the one-size-fits-all approach and lift the unsustainable audit burden on our growers.
“We will continue to engage with the industry and the wider supply chain to make the changes happen that we all want to see.
“But as the report makes clear, government also needs to urgently step up and recognise the value of farm assurance and its role in providing high quality, British food. It must ensure that our farmers and growers are not unfairly forced to compete with imported products that would be illegal to produce here, and establish the fair, transparent marketplace our farmers and growers deserve.
“This review marks a vital reset moment to build a modern assurance framework fit for purpose and the four UK farming unions remain committed to the important role assurance plays in underpinning the safety, traceability and quality of food produced on British farms.”
